Travel: 48 hours in Essaouira, Morocco

ROBIN McKelvie spends a weekend in Essaouria, Morocco
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Feb 2016, 10:00 BST
Updated 5th Mar 2016, 05:03 BST

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Blue fishing boats on an ocean coast in Essaouira, MoroccoBlue fishing boats on an ocean coast in Essaouira, Morocco
Blue fishing boats on an ocean coast in Essaouira, Morocco

Friday, midday

Check into Riad Dar l’Oussia (doubles from £60, www.riad-darloussia.com), a relaxed boutique-hotel style riad and enjoy the rooftop terrace with its views of the pounding ocean and bustling medina.

1:30pm

Head towards the fishing boats and you will come to the dozen or so seafood shacks fronting a small garden. Put together your own platter – a feast of lobster, sea bass, large prawns and squid for two with drinks costs about £20.

3pm

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Ramble around the fishing harbour, admiring the small inshore wooden boats and the larger deep sea trawlers, taking care to avoid the notoriously aggressive seagulls.

8pm

Taros Café Restaurant (www.taroscafe.com) is on Essaouira’s main square. Dine downstairs where seafood stars, with cuttlefish tagine washed down with dry local wines.

10pm

Head to the rooftop terrace at Taros. Sip on an ice cold Casablanca beer and admire the views, with live music often playing late into the night.

Saturday, 10am

Lose yourself in the medina. Compared to Marrakech you get a lot less hassle here, so peruse the myriad stalls at will within the old stone ramparts, before bargaining hard.

1pm

Take a table on the waterfront terrace at Le Coquillage (044-47 6655) and enjoy fresh seafood dishes right by the waves.

5pm

A hammam is a quintessential Essaouira experience. The Heure Bleue Palais (www.heure-bleue.com) hotel offers a private hammam for two that comes complete with a massage treatment.

8pm

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Stay on at the Heure Blue for dinner. Enjoy an aperitif in the verdant courtyard, before dinner in their elegant dining room. Local lobster is the star, with a Moroccan themed tasting menu tempting decadence.

Sunday, 9am

Take a (usually) windswept stroll along Essaouira’s expansive sandy beach and blow the cobwebs away before your flight home.

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• easyJet (www.easyjet.com) fly from Glasgow to Marrakech with return fares from around £75. Onward transfers and buses available to Essaouira. Lonely Planet’s Morocco guide has a good section on Essaouira.